Zootopia/Zootropolis Review

Zootropolis, Zootopia, call it what you like but I will be calling it simply perfect. Review over, I mean review begin…

First of all there is a clear case of don’t trust the trailers on this one as they offered little in the way of what this film is about and instead focused on humour. Don’t get me wrong that will draw the kids in which is what I guess they are aiming to do but they fail to represent the powerful message this film portrays. That message is never give up on your dreams no matter who you are or what you look like or what others think. It’s about judging people before knowing the real person or animal in this case.

At one point I had to stop and think to myself this is a Disney film, it’s for kids. As this film is hard-hitting. It’s deep and powerful. Issues such as racial prejudice and diversity were at the forefront, not an undercurrent or an aside, they were in your face. Deal with them. And deal with them this movie did. It’s bold. It’s refreshing to be challenged by your children about why the fox is always seen as the bad guy no matter what he could be.

There’s a nice amount of humour but the main focus is a brilliantly crafted crime drama which presents a number of clever twists. The homages throughout the script a brilliant, my favourite has to be the ‘The Godfather’ one. There are also a number of Disney related ‘easter eggs’ some obvious, some very much not scattered throughout. Keep an eye out for those.

Plus director Byron Howard when pitching this movie cited Disney’s 1973 ‘Robin Hood’ as an influence, one of his favourite movies and my favourite Disney movie of all-time. This movie couldn’t fail.

I don’t want to ruin Zootropolis for anyone as I think as many people as possible should check this move out for themselves. It truly deserves all the accolades it will go onto receive. It’s an incredible film from start to finish, so very clever.

Disney is in such a strong place at the moment and long may it continue. A huge amount of credit for their current strength must be directed at John Lasseter, the man behind Pixar who Disney incredibly fired many years ago! The man is an absolute genius and it’s no surprise that since his appointment as ‘chief creative officer’ in 2006 that each year Disney movies has got better and better and better. Walt would be so proud.